Will Christians go through the tribulation period? That is the question we are engaging in this study. The futurist camp which we are a part of entertains three possible answers: pretribulationists believe the rapture of the church will occur before the tribulation period begins. Posttribulationists say it will happen at the end of the tribulation period. And between those two positions is the midtribulation theory. That is the one we will examine today. We will begin with:
I. Brief SUMMARY of the Midtribulation Position.
This camp believes the rapture will occur half-way through the seven-year tribulation period.
1) Norman Harrison identifies the rapture with the catching up of the two witnesses in Revelation 11:12. “And they [the two witnesses] heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, ‘Come up here.’ And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them.”i To take this position Harrison assumes “the two witnesses are symbolic of ‘a larger company of witnesses.’” He sees these men as representing two classes of Christians: “Moses” represents dead Christians being resurrected, and “Elijah” represents living Christians being raptured.ii However, there is nothing in the passage that identifies these two witnesses as groups of people. Sound exegesis would see them as two men anointed by God at that time.
Harrison attempts to bolster his position by identifying the seventh trumpet in Revelation 11:15 with the last trump of 1 Corinthians 15:52 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16.iii However, he probably has the structure of the book of Revelation wrong. Posttribulationist place Revelation 11:15 at the end of the tribulation period because of the declaration in that verse that says, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”iv If that’s the case Harrison has inadvertently supported the posttribulation position.v However, most scholars see no relationship between the trumpet series in Revelation and Paul’s mention of the last trumpet.vi Gordon Fee says the trumpet reference “is such common imagery for heralding of the End, it may carry no metaphorical freight whatever in this instance [1 Cor. 15:52].vii Bottom line, there is too much supposition in the interpretation of the trumpet references to support a position on the timing of the rapture.viii
2) Midtribulationist Gleason Archer later rejects Harrison’s position that the two men in Revelation 11 represent groups in the rapture/resurrection. Instead he prefers identifying the rapture with “events following the sounding of the seventh trumpet,” especially in conjunction with the flight of Israel into the dessert in 12:13-17. But Archer admits “there are too many obscurities and difficulties to make out a convincing case for this identification.”ix The lack of consensus on this pivotal matter says something about the
weakness of the midtribulation theory.
3) Alan Hultberg revises the midtribulation theory and renames it the Prewrath Rapture. Drawing on his analysis of Matthew 24 and 2 Thessalonians 2:3, he places the rapture sometime after the abomination of desolation but before the final outpouring of wrath.x He moves the position closer to the posttribulation position, but contends for the church’s rapture out of the earth before the outpouring of God’s wrath during the second half of the seven-year period. Hultberg identifies the rapture with Revelation 7:9: “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes. . . .” Seeing a parallel between Revelation 7-8 and 14-16, Hultberg understands the heavenly group in Revelation 15:2 to be the same as the multitude in 7:9.xi So these Christians are raptured before the outpouring of God’s wrath is announced in 15:1 and its release in 16:1.
Like his predecessors Hultberg must base his interpretation on assumptions about the symbolism in Revelation. But his interpretation is not actually stated in the text. The prewrath position is stronger than the traditional midtribulation theory. But the heavy reliance on the allegorical method of interpretation is troubling. Both the prewrath and midtribulation theories generally place the rapture near the middle of the seven-year tribulation period. For that reason we will use the terms interchangeably in this study. We will first address some of the strengths in this position. Then we will expose some weaknesses and conclude with a summary of our observations.
II. STRENGTHS of the Midtribulation or Prewrath Position.
1) Like the posttribulation theory, the Prewrath position is more consistent with 2 Thessalonians 2 than the pretribulation theory. In that passage Paul writes, “Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God” (2 Thess. 2:1-4). We will limit our discussion of this passage since we dealt with it in the last message. The likely scenario here is the misinformation that has these Thessalonians disturbed is that the tribulation period has begun, and they have missed the rapture. If that is correct, then Paul seems to be assuring them that two signs would precede the rapture: a great apostasy or rebellion and the manifestation of the Antichrist in the abomination of desolation. Of course, such a teaching would argue against the pretribulation position.
In the Prewrath position Christians would see these two signs as indicators that the rapture is at hand. Prewrath scholars parallel Paul’s teaching here with Jesus’s teaching in Matthew 24 where He points to deception and the abomination of desolation as signs to watch for (Matt. 24:15).
2) The midtribulation position recognizes the protection from wrath promised to the church in 1 Thessalonians 5:9. Speaking to Christians, Paul writes, “For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” The posttribulation camp tries to counter this in two ways: (a) they say Paul is talking about eternal wrath that Christians are saved from through the cross. But this is not convincing because the context in 1 Thessalonians 5:9 is the coming of the Lord.xii There were no chapter breaks in the original text, so chapter 5 flows immediately out of Paul’s teaching about the rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. In 5:1-10 he continues the thought.
“But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3 For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.” That is followed by an exhortation to comfort each other similar to the exhortation in 4:18. The context demands that we understand the promise in conjunction with the coming of the Lord.
(b) The other explanation given by posttribulationists is that the promise is to protect them while the wrath is being poured out around them during the tribulation period. No doubt, God could do that.xiii But it is unlikely that the Thessalonians would have understood Paul’s words in that way.xiv The Prewrath position soundly acknowledges the promise in its context.
Prewrath advocates make a good case for God’s wrath being poured out in the last 3½ years, but not in the first half. Certainly, the first 3½ years will be difficult for the godly because of the sorrows brought on by the Antichrist and the intense persecution of God’s people. However, this is the wrath of man, not the wrath of God. God does allow it. But in the terminology describing the last half of the tribulation period is different than what is said about the first half.. The anticipation of God’s wrath on the earth does not come in the book of Revelation until after the sixth seal is opened. Then we see the fear expressed that God’s wrath is about to be released. Revelation 6:15-17: “And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, [they got in their bunkers] 16 and said to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"
The language of “the wrath of God” is only used of the events after the abomination that makes desolate which occurs at the midpoint of the tribulation period. The seven bowls that are poured out on the earth in the last part of Revelation are full of the “wrath of God.” Revelation 16:1: “Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, "Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth.” This is not just man’s inhumanity to man, as bad as that is. This is God’s wrath being poured out on the whole earth. The midtribulation camp does a good job of explaining their position on the issue of wrath. The pretribulation position is not weakened by the prewrath arguments because pretribulationist exclude Christians from the outpouring of God’s wrath as well.
3) Midtribulation position PREPARES Christians to Persevere through Tribulation. Of course, the posttribulation position does this as well.
As mentioned last week, the weakness of the pretribulation model in this regard is not inherent in the position itself. However, some people fail to understand that Christians should be braced for hardship and persecution whether it happens during the tribulation period or in earlier history. To its credit the prewrath position calls people to a readiness to persevere through any tribulation that may come.
4) Midtribulation position provides a preparation of BRIDE OF CHRIST for her Groom.
Initially this was the most attractive feature of this position for me. When I look at the condition of the church today, I find myself asking: How can this be a bride without spot or wrinkle? Yet that is the description of Christ’s bride in Ephesians 5:25-27 which says, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.” The depiction of the bride is confirmed in Revelation 19:7-8: “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready." 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” The bride of Christ will reflect His purity and majesty.
So how does she get into that condition.
The refining that comes through suffering has to be part of the process. The Bible makes that clear in several places. For example, Peter acknowledges the tribulation first-century Christians were enduring, then writes, “But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you” (1 Pet. 5:10). The fact that was happening in the first century tells us it does not have to happen during the tribulation period. Even if the pretribulation position is correct, God may take the church through some tribulation to prepare her for the rapture. But the argument against the pretribulation model based on the necessity of a pure bride is weakened by one fact: the last-days preparation of the church only addresses those living at the time. It does not address the preparation of all the previous generations.
The primary preparation for the whole church is the glorification of the saints in the resurrection. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Cor. 15:53). God uses all the work of the Spirit in this life, but the perfection of the bride happens at the resurrection. John puts it this way, “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2-3).xv The preparation of the bride for the groom will be complete and she will be without spot or wrinkle because of the transformation that will happen in the third phase of our salvation (glorification).. Therefore, we should not put too much weight on the need of the church for refinement. God could do some of that in the days prior to the rapture, even in a pretribulation model. But the radical change will come because of the transformation brought about by the resurrection.
5) The midtribulation position offers a meaningful explanation of the PURPOSE of the RAPTURE.
Why is there a rapture to begin with? In both the pretribulation model and the prewrath model, the rapture exempts the church from the outpouring of wrath during the tribulation period and positions the church in heaven for the Judgment Seat of Christ and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.xvi That is missing in the posttribulation position.
III. WEAKNESSES of the Midtribulation or Prewrath Position.
1) The identification of when the rapture occurs in Scripture is extremely weak.
It is heavily dependent on symbolism and assumption. As mentioned earlier, there is not even agreement within the camp itself on this issue. Yet everything in the model depends on it. The prewrath contention that the scene with the great multitude in heaven in Revelation 7:9 represents the timing of the rapture is based on an allegorical method of interpretation and relies on one’s interpretation of the imagery. We are not told enough about how they got there to build our eschatology around it.
The pretribulationists use John’s call to heaven in Revelation 4:1 to indicate timing for
the rapture. That position is vague and weak as well. God is simply calling John up, and it is a leap to say that represents the rapture of the church.
The posttribulationist effort to locate the rapture in the book of Revelation is just as nebulas. Douglas Moo prefers to associate it with Revelation 11:12 or 20:4. But he acknowledges the uncertainty of that and writes, “Most interpreters, whatever their view on the coming of the rapture, agree that the Revelation never clearly describes the rapture” (emphasis his).xvii
Since we have already discussed this issue, we will move on. But this, in my mind, is a rather decisive weakness in this model.
2) Overlap of the church age with the 70th week in God’s program for Israel presents interpretation problems. When Jews get saved during the first 3½ years of the tribulation period, do they get saved into the church or are they a part of God’s special plan for that nation? We brought this matter up in a previous teaching, so I will be brief. The church age is a work of God distinct in some ways from God’s program for the nation of Israel. When Israel rejected and crucified Messiah, God launched the church age on the Day of Pentecost. His program for the nation of Israel was put on pause, and He began working through the church. It was a distinctive event on a specific day when the church age began.
One would expect God to conclude the church age in a similar way with a distinctive event. Pretribulationists contend that event is the rapture prior to a resumption of the 70 weeks prophesied in Daniel 9:24. Someone might bring up the fact that it was about 40 years after Acts 2 before the temple was destroyed. That is true, but we know from the New Testament that Jews who turned to God during that 40 years were saved into the church where there is “neither Jew nor Greek” (Gal. 3:28). Paul is an example of that. Looking at the precision in the way God began the church, we would expect it to end in a similar way, setting it apart from the unique program for Israel.xviii The pretribulation model provides for this and eliminates some of the unanswered question we raised in a previous teaching. Could God end the church age with the overlap suggested by the prewrath and posttribulation models? Of course, He could. For that reason, this issue is not decisive. But the conclusion of the church age is more consistent with the way it began in the pretribulation model.
3) This Model May Not Present as Strong of a Position on IMMINENCE as the Pretribulation Theory Does.
Pretribulationists argue that Imminence is weakened by the signs placed before the rapture. We need to examine this issue in the light of Scripture. What does the Bible say about our expectation of Christ’s coming for His church? Prewrath and posttribulationists say no one knows the day nor hour of the rapture, but one can discern the nearness of the event by the signs given in Scripture. Even though end-time events will come as a thief in the night and take the world by surprise, alert Christians will discern the times and be prepared.
First Thessalonians 5:1-11 says: “But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3 For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. 11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.”
Paul makes a clear distinction in verse 4 between the way the coming of the Lord will take the world by surprise but should not catch Christians off-guard. Verse 4: “But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.” The warning that follows addresses the danger that Christians could by surprised by His coming if they do not stay alert and ready for His coming. In other words, there are signs that could alert us to the nearness of His coming, but we will only discern them if we are spiritually alert and ready.xix
The readiness Paul prescribes is altogether spiritual. The error that is repeated again and again in history is trying to identify the time of Christ’s coming and make carnal preparations. The focus usually becomes the troubles predicted for the end-times and what we can do in the natural to protect ourselves. Therefore, people build bunkers, shift financial investments, and sometimes move off the grid. This is the carnal mind at work. But the preparation called for in in verse 8 is to “be sober [be spiritually alert], putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.” When our response to discerning the times moves us to take self-centered, carnal action we’re probably out of sync with Scripture. If our discernment of the times causes us to draw near to the Lord as our Shepherd and commune with Him more intimately and live more obediently, we’re responding correctly. Gene Green points out the Thessalonian concern about when the day of the Lord would arrive, then writes, “Paul answers this concern by teaching that living in faith, love, and hope is the proper way to be prepared so that the day of the LorD will not surprise them ‘like a thief.’”xx
The answer to the imminence debate by the midtribulationists and posttribulationists is pretty convincing.xxi The pre-tribulation model naturally lends itself to the call for readiness. But the other two positions do not forsake this call. It is possible to know the signs and season and still have a mindset that passionately longs for and prepares for the rapture. Therefore, I do not see this as a very strong weakness in this model or the posttribulation model.
4) This position fails to explain the lack of distinction made in the New Testament with the terms used in reference to the rapture versus the second coming.
We discussed this weakness in the previous message on the weaknesses of the pretribulation position. We will only touch on it here. As you recall there are three Greek words used in the New Testament in reference to the coming of Christ: parousia, apokalupsis, and epiphaneia. All three words are used in reference to both the rapture and the second coming. That tends to indicate events happening at the same time.
The pretribulation and midtribulation theories make a crucial distinction between the timing of the rapture and the second coming. That distinction is weighty in those theories. But if that distinction is that important, why didn’t the New Testament writers make an effort to distinguish them more in the language they used? If Paul held the pretribulation or midtribulation position, you would expect him to make a clearer distinction between the two events. If the two events occur at the same time, it is understandable that a more definite distinction is not made.
The answer given to this concern is to list the contrasting descriptions of these two events. Dwight Pentecost lists seventeen such contrasts, and the list is enlightening.xxii But it does not adequately explain the apparent merging of the events in some passages. These distinctions could simply explain the difference in the way groups are impacted by almost simultaneous events. While this complaint against the pretribulation and midtribulation positions is an argument from silence, it is an important consideration.
5) Midtribulation position Offers Little Explanation as to Why 2 Thessalonians 1:3-10 seems to Portray Christians Receiving Rest in Conjunction with the Destruction of God’s Enemies at the Second Coming.
This is closely associated with the fourth weakness we just discussed. In our last message we examined this problem as a weakness for the pretribulation position as well. Perhaps Paul is talking in general terms that would allow for the pretribulation and midtribulation models. But without question the passage fits better with a posttribulation position.xxiii
In 2 Thessalonians 1:6-8 Paul says to the persecuted believers at Thessalonica: “since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, 7 and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Verses 9-10 seem to continue with this connection between the Lord being glorified in His saints along with the destruction of God’s enemies at the second coming. “These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.”
Conclusion:
So, we have examined the midtribulation position. Overall, it has less strengths and more weaknesses than the other two models. It does not fall outside the realm of possibility, but it is the most unlikely of the three positions. It depends heavily on identifying the timing of the rapture in the book of Revelation. But it fails to provide solid evidence of when that would be. Next week we will examine the posttribulation position.
ENDNOTES:
i All Scripture quotes are from the New King James Version unless indicated otherwise.
ii Norman B. Harrison, The End: Re-Thinking the Revelation (Minneapolis, MN: The Harrison Service, 1941) 116-117.
iii Harrison, The End: Re-Thinking the Revelation, 74-75. For a pretribulationist argument against Harrison’s position on this see J. Dwight Pentecost, Things to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology, 1958 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing, 1973) 188-192.
iv Michael L. Brown and Craig S. Keener, Not Afraid of the Antichrist: Why We Don’t Believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture (Minneapolis, MN: Chosen, 2019) 109-110.
v Moo thinks Revelation 11:11-12 may describe the rapture, but quickly adds, “If it does the rapture would be posttribulational.” Douglas Moo, “A Posttribulation Response,” Craig Baising, Alan Hultberg, and Douglas J. Moo, Three Views on the Rapture: Pretribulation, Prewrath, or Posttribulation, Counterpoints Series, Stanley Gundry, ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing, 2010) 174.
vi Alan Hultberg, “A Case for the Prewrath Rapture,” in Craig Baising, Alan Hultberg, and Douglas J. Moo, Three Views on the Rapture: Pretribulation, Prewrath, or Posttribulation, Counterpoints Series, Stanley Gundry, ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing, 2010) 152. Hultberg writes, “Rather, Paul is probably referring to the frequent mention of a trumpet call announcing the day of the Lord and the gathering of Israel (Isa. 27:13; Joel 2:1; Zeph. 1:16; Zech. 9:14; cf. ApocAb 31:1-2; Pss. Sol. 11:1-3; Matt. 24:31; 1 Thess. 4:16).” Feinberg also argues
against equating the Revelation 11:15 with the last trump of 1 Corinthians 15:52 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16. Gleason L. Archer, Jr., Paul Feinberg, Douglas Moo, and Richard R. Reiter, Three Views on the Rapture: Pre-, Mid-, or Post-Tribulational? By (Grand Points: Zondervan Publishing, 1996) 148-149.
vii Gordon D. fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, The New International Commentary of the New Testament, N. Stonehouse, F. F. Bruce, and Gordon Fee, eds. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 1987) 801-802.
viii Having said this, the weight of the argument tends to favor the posttribulation position.
ix Gleason Archer, “The Case for the Mid-Seventieth-Week Rapture Position,” in Three Views on the Rapture: Pre-, Mid-, or Post-Tribulational? By Gleason L. Archer, Jr., Paul Feinberg, Douglas Moo, and Richard R. Reiter (Grand Points: Zondervan Publishing, 1996) 144.
x Hultberg writes, “Thus the best reading of 2 Thessalonians 2:3-5 is that Paul understands the parousia of Christ, in which he raptures the church and pours his wrath on his enemies, to be preceded by the abomination of desolation.” Alan Hultberg, “A Case for the Prewrath Rapture,” in Craig Baising, Alan Hultberg, and Douglas J. Moo, Three Views on the Rapture: Pretribulation, Prewrath, or Posttribulation, Counterpoints Series, Stanley Gundry, ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing, 2010) 127.
xi Hultberg, 135.
xii Moo seems to concede the context as the coming of the Lord but argues the promise is not a rescue from the wrath poured out during the tribulation but from wrath in general. His reasoning is that both living and dead Christians are exempted from wrath and only living Christians are raptured. However, if Christians are rescued from the wrath of God in whatever form it may come, then they are rescued from the wrath being poured out during the tribulation period. See Douglas Moo, “A Posttribulation Response,” Craig Baising, Alan Hultberg, and Douglas J. Moo, Three Views on the Rapture: Pretribulation, Prewrath, or Posttribulation, Counterpoints Series, Stanley Gundry, ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing, 2010) 170-172. On pages 182-183 of this book Hultberg correctly reasserts the context of 1 Thessalonians 5:9 to be parousia wrath, not just wrath in general. Hultberg understands “the day of the Lord” as referring to “a complex of events’ including the rapture, the tribulation period, and the second coming” (not just the final day of the tribulation period). He points to the way Paul uses the phrase in 2 Thessalonians 2:2 as part of his argument for that. Baising, et. al, Three Views on the Rapture, 267-269.
xiii In fairness to the posttribulationists, there is precedence for this preservation in the midst of an outpouring of God’s wrath. For example, Isaiah 26:20-21 says, “Come, my people, enter your chambers, And shut your doors behind you; Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, Until the indignation is past. 21 For behold, the Lord comes out of His place To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; The earth will also disclose her blood, And will no more cover her slain.”
xiv xiv Michael L. Brown and Craig S. Keener, Not Afraid of the Antichrist: Why We Don’t Believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture (Minneapolis, MN: Chosen, 2019) 123-126.
xv See Richard W. Tow, Authentic Christianity: Studies in 1 John (Bloomington, IN: WestBow Press, 2019) 156-169.
xvi However, Hultberg writes, “The marriage supper seems to be the second coming itself” (emphasis his). Blaising, Hultberg, and Moo, The Rapture, 263.
xvii Douglas Moo, “A Posttribulation Response,” Craig Baising, Alan Hultberg, and Douglas J. Moo, Three Views on the Rapture: Pretribulation, Prewrath, or Posttribulation, Counterpoints Series, Stanley Gundry, ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing, 2010) 172, 174-175.
xviii Cf. J. Dwight Pentecost, Things to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology, 1958 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing, 1973) 200-202.
xix Paul is probably basing his teaching here in Thessalonians 5 on Christ’s teaching in Matthew 24:32-25:46 which emphasized the warning to watch and stay spiritually prepared for His coming.
xx Gene L. Green, The Letters to the Thessalonians, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, D. A. Carson, ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 2002) 230.
xxi For a pretribulation position on imminence see John F. Walvoord, The Rapture Question, rev. ed., 1957 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing, 1979) 50-54, 73. For posttribulation position on imminence see Brown and Keener, Not Afraid of the Antichrist, 126-130 and Blaising, Hultberg, and Moo, Three Views on the Rapture, 235-239.
xxii J. Dwight Pentecost, Things to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology, 1958 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing, 1973) 206-207.
xxiii Alan Hultberg concedes that this passage could be a simultaneous event but asserts that it “does not unambiguously demonstrate that.” His answer is that “2 Thessalonians 1:6-10, which includes God’s eschatological wrath, the rapture, and the glorious return of Christ, must be taken as a conflation of the Parousia complex into a single depiction.” Blaising, Hultberg, and Moo, Three Views on the Rapture, 268.
